An Introduction to Sales Funnels (And How to Use Them on Your Affiliate Website)

Moving potential customers through the sales process can be complex, but it’s a necessary part of any online business. As an affiliate marketer, it’s your job to lead website visitors down the ‘right’ path (i.e. the one that will result in the most sales). However, an overly complicated sales process can result in leads looking elsewhere for a solution.

To reduce complexity and turn your visitors into customers, we recommend creating a clear sales funnel. This is a marketing technique that enables you to direct your leads from one step to the next, so you can ultimately make the sale. With a well-thought out sales funnel in place, your business is likely to see an increase in income and customer satisfaction.

In this post, we’ll introduce sales funnels and explain why you should use them on your affiliate marketing site. Then we’ll share three tips you can use to create an effective funnel for your affiliate business. Let’s get started!

What a Sales Funnel Is (And Its Benefits for Your Affiliate Marketing Website)

A sales funnel is a defined path consumers take before making a purchase. Its goal is often to sell a product or service, but it can also be used to entice leads to sign up for an email campaign. The typical sales funnel follows a four-step process, which encompasses:

Action: Turn your leads into converts, such as by encouraging them to make a purchase or sign up for your newsletter.

When implemented correctly, sales funnels can help turn leads into customers. They enable you to better visualize the sales process, which helps you improve your marketing strategy. What’s more, having a clear sales funnel in place enables you to narrow your focus, so you can more accurately pitch to your audience.

How to Set Up an Effective Sales Funnel for Your Affiliate Website (In 3 Steps)

Now that you understand the basics of sales funnels, it’s time to consider how to create one for your website. Let’s take a closer look at the steps required to set up an effective sales funnel for your affiliate business!

Step 1: Optimize Your Website for Top Search Rankings

Search engines are often used to draw in new website traffic.

The first step in any successful sales funnel is to make your target audience aware of your brand. You can do this by optimizing your site to rank more highly on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), such as by:

Another method you can consider is building backlinks to your site. This can boost your rankings on SERPs, while also increasing brand awareness.

Step 2: Write High-Quality Content That Showcases Your Expertise

High-quality content, such as this blog post by Neil Patel, is crucial to an effective sales funnel.

High-quality content is easy to read, informative, and well-structured. By creating excellent content, you show visitors that you’re an expert in the field, which is likely to increase their interest in your business. Once you have their attention, you can turn it into a specific desire, or ‘want’, for the services you offer.

You’ll also want to consider the type of content you’re creating. At this stage, some of the most effective options include tutorials, guides, and checklists.

Step 3: Create a Trust-Building Landing Page to Seal the Deal

A landing page – such as this one from Microsoft – can be the final step in your sales funnel.

The last step in the sales funnel is getting a lead to complete the desired action. A landing page can play a vital role in this process. This type of page has only one purpose – to encourage visitors to convert. It’s commonly linked to throughout your website (such as in the sidebar, at the end of blog posts, etc), in order to attract the most attention.

Your landing page should build trust and increase your brand’s credibility. What’s more, it needs to compel visitors to take the final step and make a purchase. To create a trust-building landing page for your site, you’ll want to:

Use multimedia where appropriate: Videos and images can increase click-through rates by 42%!

You may also want to consider adding a FAQ section to your landing page. This will help increase your prospects’ knowledge about your affiliate product or service, especially if they reach this page earlier in the sales process.

Conclusion

The sales techniques you use on your affiliate website can make or break your business. That’s why we recommend creating a clear sales funnel – a method that leads prospects step by step through the conversion process. By using one on your website, you can increase consumer interest and improve affiliate sales.

If you want to set up an effective sales funnel for your affiliate business, you’ll want to: